This year six agencies in all received top honors as a Best Agency to Work For. The Best Agencies to Work For in 2012 include: Bryan Insurance Agency, Graham, Texas; Meyer & Cook Insurance, Walnut Grove, California; Walker Myers Insurance & Risk Management, Austin, Texas; Herbie Wiles Insurance, St. Augustine, Florida; Hausmann-Johnson Insurance, Madison, Wisconsin; American Insurance Services, Clark, New Jersey.
Insurance Journal wishes to thank the many customer service representatives, account executives, producers, managers and other agency staff who took the time to nominate their independent insurance agency in this year’s survey.
Strength of Family Helps Agency to FlourishClark, New JerseyAmerican Insurance Services
When you walk into the offices of American Insurance Services in Clark, N.J., you may be forgiven for mistaking it for an extended family reunion.
“The benefit of a family-like environment is offered here. I treat my employees like family, and we treat our customers the same way,” says Nick San Filippo, who started his property/casualty insurance agency 36 years ago.
The family-like atmosphere is a primary reason American Insurance Services was voted on by its employees as Insurance Journal‘s Best Agency to Work For in the East in 2012. The family-like atmosphere also is the reason the agency is flourishing. American Insurance now has 24 employees and more than $30 million in written premiums, and business continues to expand.
“Our President Nick San Filippo treats us all like members of his own family. This act is contagious, and we reciprocate that respect, care, and service to all our clients,” explained one staff member.
A common theme from the employees’ evaluations of their agency was how enjoyable they said it is to come to work.
“It is a pleasure to come to work,” an employee said. “I like working here, because I can be myself and can express my thoughts, and know that my ideas are listened to, regardless of my position in the company. I also enjoy the people that I work with and know that together we work well as a team.”
When asked about the agency’s enjoyable work atmosphere, Dawn Law, the agency’s vice president who is in charge of operations, says, “you have to make employees want to be here.” For example, the agency is parent-friendly, she notes, providing young parents with adjustable work schedules to accommodate their work and family obligations. “We are very family-oriented.”
The flexibility afforded to employees is a result of mutual respect, Law says. “The main thing you have to do is show your staff respect,” she says. “There is a human side to work
View the Original article
